Why are books banned? Some would say it’s because of language, or strong sexual or violent themes. Others might argue that the material is unsuitable for children or the themes are seen as too complicated. The truth is, books are banned because they make people uncomfortable or are simply seen as too controversial to be allowed into the public and the minds of children. In honor of Banned Books Week, the following is a list of challenged and banned books that most people have read at some point in their middle or high school career.

1. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain

A Summary: A young boy named Huck Finn escapes from his abusive father and accidentally becomes partners with a slave named Jim. The two travel up the Mississippi away from the authorities and various other scoundrels.

Why it’s controversial: When it first came out in 1885, the novel was described as “trash suitable only for slums”. Later, in 1957 it was called out for racism, specifically in how Jim, a black man, is considered an equal for Huck, a child. The most frequent problem with the book has been its use of the “n” word when talking about African Americans. Several versions of the book have come out in which it has been replaced with “slave” or “servant”.

Why you should read it: The book is significantly about Huck’s coming of age, and he takes on a metaphorical journey as well as a physical one, growing out of boyhood as he rides down the Mississippi. On another level, it speaks about racism in the late 1800s in a way that humanizes, rather than stereotypes, the main black character. In the end, the book is as much about Jim as it is about Huck, and the story is about their journey together as equals.

2. The Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger

A Summary: This book is the story of an urban, middle class, teenage boy named Holden Caulfield, who confronts the crises in his own life with a chaotic world of his own. Holden thinks about life, sex, and society as he experiences a number of misadventures over the 48-hour timeframe of the story.

Why it’s controversial: Many libraries and schools have challenged or banned The Catcher in the Ryebased on the sheer amount of cursing in the novel. Along with the more minor swear words, Holden is fond of dropping the F-bomb. The novel also contains quite a lot of talk about sex.

Why you should read it: It was one of the first mainstream novels to focus more on character development than plot. The book itself is just a look into Holden Caulfield’s head, and deals with issues that continue to resonate with teenagers and young adults.

3. Invisible Man - Ralph Ellison

A Summary: Invisible Man tells the story of a young, college educated black man living in the 1930s trying to survive in a highly segregated society which refuses to see him as a real person. He is essentially invisible. The novel follows the narrator as he becomes enlightened and is able to give up his resentment and hatred.

Why it’s controversial: According to the Randolph County school board, which banned Invisible Man from its libraries and schools, the novel is simply inappropriate for children to be reading, and does not respect all cultures. A member of the school board added that, “he didn’t find any literary value."

Why you should read it: Aside from an engaging plot and memorable characters, Invisible Man is a commentary on the harsh realities of racism. Its themes and ideas still ring as true today as they did 50 years ago when it was first published.

4. The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne

A Summary: The novel focuses on the trials of a young woman named Hester Prynne living in the puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts who has gotten pregnant by the minister while her husband is still in England. The townspeople condemn her to stand on the scaffolding in the middle of town day after day, and she is forced to wear a scarlet “A” on all of her clothes, marking her as an adulteress who is unfit to live in the society.

Why it’s controversial: Since it’s publication, The Scarlet Letter has been regularly challenged for its inclusion of sex. In the 1850s, when it first came out, it was condemned for its involvement of not only sex, but for the lack of remorse or punishment. Later, in the 20th century, it was described to various school officials as “pornographic”, “immoral”, and “too revealing”.

Why you should read it: This book is simultaneously a history lesson on early puritan America and about the empowerment of women. Hester refuses to leave the community or pretend that her sin never occurred. Instead, she proudly wears her scarlet letter and accepts it as part of herself.

5. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee

A Summary: A story centered in the sleepy Alabama town of Maycomb, To Kill a Mockingbird follows the lawyer Atticus Finch as he takes on the unpopular defense of a black man accused of raping a white woman.

Why it’s controversial: The main reason this book has been challenged is because of the language, which contains racial slurs in clouding the “n” word. It has also been challenged on the basis that portrays Tom, the defendant, as submissive, which was considered indicative of institutionalized racism.

Why you should read it: It is a condemnation of racism and simultaneously an expression of the narrow-mindedness of those who do not experience it. The author’s views regarding race are limited to her own sphere of knowledge, and today more than ever it is important to break out of that idea. Aside from that, the novel tells a coming of age story for the young children experiencing the events of the trial and shows how open minded children are compared to adults.

6. The Color Purple - Alice Walker

A Summary: A 14-year-old black girl named Celie starts writing letters to God because her father frequently beats and rapes her. Over the course of the story, she grows into a strong woman who is able to confront her lifelong tormenters.

Why it’s controversial:The Color Purple has been banned, challenged, or removed in multiple schools and libraries because of its inclusion of sexuality, rape, incest, and homosexuality. It has also been challenged because of the book’s negative image of black men.

Why you should read it: If for no other reason, read The Color Purple for its unique style of writing. It is formed as a series of letters spanning nearly 40 years and several continents. More importantly, though, the book is about women and the relationships between them, as well as race relations between African and white Americans.

7. The Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

A Summary: Harry Potter is a relatively normal boy living with his aunt and uncle in England when he finds out that he is wizard. The series follows him and his friends' adventures at their school of magic as they grow up and ultimately battle the dark lord, Voldemort.

Why it’s controversial: Many religious schools have banned Harry Potter because it includes what is described as “witchcraft”, something strictly forbidden according to their teachings. Aside from its link to sorcery, Harry Potter has been challenged because of Harry’s bad example and rule-breaking habits. Some people have also said that it is simply too frightening for children.

Why you should read it: The Harry Potter series is an engaging and complex series of books, well-written in such a way that it can be read over and over without getting bored. It also addresses prejudice and the idea that love is more powerful than hate, making it a good series for children, teenagers, and adults.

8. Speak - Laurie Halse Anderson

A Summary: Speak tells the story of a high school freshman who has become ostracized by her peers due to her calling of the police because of an unknown incident during a summer party. She virtually stops speaking to anyone, refusing to say what happened on the night of the party.

Why it’s controversial: It is a frequently centered novel because of the difficult subject matter, which includes drinking and rape. It has been accused of “exposing children to immorality”, with some schools going as far to say that it could be classified as “soft-pornography.”

Why you should read it: Speak is a book which is targeted to young audiences and deals with a heroine who encounters something that could happen to anyone. Not only does it focus on the rape of a girl, it also has a main character dealing with PTSD and depression, showing any young adult suffering the same thing that they are not alone.

9. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

A Summary: The story follows two friends, Amir and Hassan, growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan. Hassan is one of Amir’s family servants, yet the two are playmates. Later in life, Amir is haunted by a childhood incident involving Hassan, when he finds out that Hassan and his wife have been killed by the Taliban. Amir goes on a journey back to Afghanistan to find Hassan’s son and seek redemption.

Why it’s controversial: The main concern about The Kite Runner is that it includes a graphic description of a sodomizing rape. Multiple parents have tried to get it taken out of the curriculum because of that particular scene. Other than that, it has been accused of desensitizing children to violence and being vulgar.

Why you should read it: First of all, The Kite Runner has historical significance as being the first novel published in English by an Afghan-American. It also portrays a rich portrait of Afghanistan and addresses the changes in governments in how it treats the main characters. Not only that, but it addresses the themes of friendship, guilt, betrayal, and redemption, showing how everyone’s lives are tied together.

10. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood

A Summary: The main character of this story is Offred, a Handmaid whose purpose is to have children in the totalitarian regime of Gilead. She attempts to escape the country, but is captured, essentially reprogrammed, and is placed in the house of a Commander and his wife who are unable to have their own children. Throughout the course of the novel, Offred works to gain her freedom in a society that looks down on women and treats them as servants. In the end, the reader is left unsure of her fate.

Why it’s controversial: The Handmaid’s Tale has been challenged or banned for a large number of varying reasons. Most obvious is sexual content, as the main character is a sexual slave. It has also been censored for profanity, mentions of suicide, violence, and anti-Christian themes.

Why you should read it: It describes an image of women as simply servants, “incubators with legs”, to use, abuse, and forget about. The novel is a staunch feminist work of literature, which also manages to bring to light the plight of many women today who live in patriarchal societies where they have no voices.

11. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie

A Summary: This young adult novel follows a boy named Junior living on a Native American reservation who was born with water in his brain, making him a little different from the beginning. When he transfers to a white school from the reservation, he begins to feel like a “part-time Indian”, one who doesn’t quite belong anywhere.

Why it’s controversial: True to the nature of the topic, this book deals with the same things many young teenage boys do. However, a large number of parents have been offended by this realistic story, due to its mentions of masturbation, its explicit language, and the racism included in it from both the white and Native American sides.

Why you should read it: It’s a portrait of a reservation through the eyes of a young man, someone just starting to make his place in the world. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian manages to relate to teenagers in the right way, being at once understandable and difficult, due to the harsh realities of living on a reservation. It also appeals to the people who feel stuck in-between groups, since Junior has to make his own place in the world, separate from his family.

12. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury

A Summary: Fahrenheit 451 is about a fireman named Guy Montag whose job it is not to put out fires, but to start them. In a futuristic America where the government controls the influx of information and creativity, books are banned and people prefer to watch excess amounts of television and connect to other people through a radio implant. Ultimately, Montag meets a girl who opens his eyes to the emptiness of his life, and he must make a decision to comply or to rebel, and embrace books.

Why it’s controversial: The most ironic of the entries on this list, the novel has been challenged for its un-Christian values, such as the burning of the Bible, portrayal of Christians, and violence. It was also censored at one school by blacking out all the “hells” and “damns”. There were also instances in which it was described as having “a whole lot of vulgarity”.

Why you should read it: This novel is about the dangers of banning books. In the novel, books were originally banned because they offended different groups. Finally, it became easier to ban them all, and reading became a crime. Sound familiar? Fahrenheit 451 is important because it is relevant to the world today. It speaks to all the censored books and authors, the removal of ideas and the terrible consequences that follow. To lose the right to read, and to find and create new ideas, is to lose a crucial part of what it means to be human.

Celebrate Banned Books Week. Go forth and read dangerously.